Over 100 seabirds washed up on Chesil Beach due to stormy weather

MORE than 100 dead and distressed seabirds were washed up on a Dorset beach during last weekend’s stormy weather.

Five dead puffins, razorbills, guillemots and two kittiwakes were discovered on Chesil Beach, some covered in oil, and those found alive were exhausted and needed time to recover.

Some of the stranded birds have been rescued by Dorset Wildlife Trust conservation officers. A trapped razorbill, stuck inside a metal cage filled with shingle to stabilise the shoreline, was freed by Angela Thomas, assistant warden at the Chesil Bank and Fleet Nature Reserve.

“The force of the waves had emptied the shingle from the metal cage, but somehow a razorbill has become trapped inside – it was hard to get it out, and we had no idea how it got in there. It would not have escaped without our help, so we’re glad we managed to spot it,” she said.

Puffins, which are a species of European conservation concern, breed at Dancing Ledge in Purbeck.

The beach is being monitored to try and rescue as many birds as possible and the trust is advising people not to touch dead or injured birds, but contact the centre on 01305 206191 or call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.